Kirkpatrick was criticized after the 2007 Legislature for working to give lucrative tax breaks to casino companies in the guise of "green buildings."

She didn't want a repeat.

The North Las Vegas Democrat was operating in an environment that was at once friendlier and tougher than ever for renewable energy development.

The concept of moving away from fossil fuels and toward solar and geothermal developments emerged over the past two years as an economic salve. You only had to hear the words of President Obama and Sen. Harry Reid: "Green jobs" would transform the country and bring it out of recession, they argued. With plentiful sun and plentiful land and proximity to a state with a voracious appetite for renewable energy, Nevada should benefit, they said.

Then came the state budget crisis.

Bigger-than-ever tax cuts for renewable energy companies would be a tough sell.

With the session over and the state's new energy policy in full view, it's fair to ask: What was accomplished?

The answer: Quite a lot.

Observers say Nevada made itself the most attractive state in the sun-drenched West for large solar plant development. Utility-size solar generation plants in the desert, along with geothermal plants, got a big boost.

Jim Baak, director of utility-scale solar for the nonprofit advocacy group Vote Solar, said Nevada was far more aggressive than other sunny-state legislatures this year.

Texas called its legislative session the "Solar Session" but wasn't able to pass productive new laws, said Baak, who monitors solar issues in states. Florida became equally mired, he said.

If some other objectives are met, large-scale solar is likely to become the focus of renewable energy development in Nevada for at least the short term, observers say. That should bring thousands of construction jobs to the state, with built-in wage requirements. Large-scale solar plants tend to operate without a lot of employees once they're running.

Legislators had less to show in providing incentives for homeowners and others to install rooftop solar devices and for the manufacturers of renewable energy equipment to build plants in Nevada. Both tend to have many permanent jobs associated with them.

Among moves made this session intended to spur renewable energy, legislators:

– Extended and increased the portion of Nevada energy that must come from renewable resources from 20 percent by 2015 to 25 percent by 2025. That ensures an expanding appetite for renewable energy.

– Extended property tax abatements for renewable energy production plants, which were to expire this year, and expanded them from 50 percent for 10 years to 55 percent for 20 years.

– Allowed geothermal power plants to receive property tax abatements.

– Created a renewable energy commission and transferred many of the duties of the governor's energy office to it.

– Expanded the program that offers rebates for households and businesses that put solar panels on their rooftops and made changes in how the program operates.